The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 13. FRUIT GROWING TILLAGE OR GRASS SOD.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 November 1913, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY. LEVIN. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 13. FRUIT GROWING TILLAGE OR GRASS SOD.

Tni'. nlxivc controversial question i; deal! with by Dr. M. P. Jlcdrick, (it I lie Geneva Experimental Slat ion. New York, m a very able manner. ()ne of America's loremost liorl icult ural authorities, lie treats the subject most exhaustively, and quotes facts and figure:-. resulting from many experiments and close observation, which should go far towards settling any doubts about the merits ot tillage as against the grass sod system. It is well to define exactly what is meant by the two systems. Tillage means to plough, cultivate, or hoe the soil. Grass sod is soil made compact and held together by the matted roots of living grass. The experiments have now extended over five years, and it is intended to carry thein on I'or another live years in order that a definite and conclusive answer may he given. At the American experimental station, ten acres were divided into two plots, one of which was tilled and the other grassed. Both were planted with apples. The tilled plot is ploughed in the spnng and cultivated sis limes during the summer, when a cover crop of oats or clover is sown. On the grass sod plot the grass is simply cut once or twice, and allowed io decay, thus aeciimulaling humus in the soil. The effects of these two methods on the yield of fruit is shown in the following figures: Tilled Grass sod. bushels bushels 1 !)()•! .mi filo.l I«)(V, '-375.D l!)0i; •">:> 1.1 -Jin.:; I!)()7 -I'J I .•'» |!)0S 72?.0 Wk-■> i lie average yield per acre being for the grass sod iti.!) bushels, and for tillage I H!J bushels, a difference in favour of tillage of ■"><>. 1 bushels. The average expenses per acre of the two methods of management for tin; five years was 17 dollars !)'J cents for grass, and for tillage 'J-f dollars (>2 cents in favour of grass sod. It is true l hat the outlay for the tilled plot has geen greater, but flic income has also been greater. Hie growth of the trees, the size, quality and flavour of the fruit must aUo be considered. Jn growth, both in length of new wood and in the colour and density of the foliage, the tilled plot showed out a long way before its rival. There seems to be little difference in the qualify of the fruit, hut the tissues of the grass sod fruit begins to break down very quickly after harvesting. The cost of production has been materially less for the tilled plot, and thai, is the main point of flic whole discussion. A cheap and easy way of growing apples is not necessarily the most remunerative.